Interlocking coat hanger cover



NOV. 15, 1966 c. Q Z|NTEL INTERLOCKING COAT HANGER COVER Filed Dec. 9, 1963 I N VEN TOR.

(/zrzz/re $567124 BY 1 United States Patent "ice 3,285,481 INTERLOCKING COAT HANGER COVER Clarence C. Zintel, 840 SE. 22nd Ave., Apt. C, Pompano Beach, Fla. Filed Dec. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 328,875 9 Claims. (Cl. 223-87) This invention relates to a cover for a conventional wire-type coat hanger, and more particularly to a hanger cover having improved means for holding it in position on such hangers.

It is an object of my invention to provide an inexpensive coat hanger cover which is easily attachable to wire coat hangers, which will interlock with such hangers to retain itself in proper position on such hangers and which will afford rounded support for garments hung on the cover.

A wire coat hanger for which my cover is intended comprises a pair of downwardly sloping arms supported at their outer ends by an interconnecting strut and joined at their upper or inner ends to short horizontal shoulder portions leading to upwardly bent legs which form a crotch and are twisted together and attached to a hook above the crotch.

A coat hanger cover of the type here involved comprises a generally triangularly shaped blank of cardboard or like stiff sheet material which is foldable over the downwardly sloping arms of the wire hanger along angularly-disposed groups of spaced and preferably diverging score lines, to form rounded surfaces overlying the hanger arms for supporting a garment thereon without forming creases in the garment along the lines of support. The angle between the groups of score lines approximates that between the arms of the hanger but may be slightly greater than the hanger arm angle so that the weight of the garment tends to maintain the rounded configuration of the cover. The portion of the cover blank between the groups of score lines may be termed the main or first panel and is adapted to lie at one face of the hanger. The portions of the blank above the score lines form half panels which are cut apart at the apex of the blank and which, when folded over, are adapted to overlap at their inner ends and to be secured together by an interlocking tongue and slot which holds them in folded position to form a second cover panel adapted to lie at the opposite face of the hanger.

In my prior Patent 3,033,430 of May 8, 1962, the hanger-cover blank was cut to provide a flap at the inner end of one of the half panels which could be folded at an angle to engage transversely in the crotch of the hanger. The present invention provides a hanger cover which is more easily attached and interlocked with the hanger and which holds the cover in more firm relationship with the hanger.

In accordance with the present invention, the center cuts in the blank have a special shape which forms an upstanding tongue at the apex of one or both main panels, with such tongue in position to be offset through the plane of the hanger and engaged beneath the shoulder portion of the hanger to lock the cover on the hanger and hold it both against removal and against misalignment.

In a preferred form of cover blank, the ends of the cut separating the half-panels from the first main panel are at the upper ends of the score lines, just below the points where the hanger arms join the hanger shoulder portions. The cut has a transverse or hook-shaped end portion, to form eyes at its ends, from which the Cuts extend obliquely upward and inward, and then transversely inward as long a horizontal line, forming a central upstanding tongue on the first panel in a position to lie in front of the terial.

3,285,481 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 shoulder and crotch portions of the wire hanger. The cut separating the two half panels of the cover from each other extends from approximately the center of the horizontal portion of the above described cut, upward to the edge of the blank, conveniently in a configuration suitable to form the tongue of the interlocking tongue and slot for the half panels of the blank.

The above-described cut configuration not only provides the upstanding tongue on the first panel, but also provides pointed tongues at the inner corners of the half panels, which, when the half panels are overlapped and interlocked by the tongue and slot, extend upward from the second panel in a position to cross or overlap the shoulder and crotch portions of the hanger. The special cut configuration thus provides an upstanding tongue on the first or main panel and overlapping upstanding tongues on the half panels, both of which are positioned to overlap the shoulder and crotch at the apex portion of the hanger. Either the main panel tongue, or preferably the overlapping tongues of the half panels can be pushed through the hanger, to lock the cover in place on it. When this is done, the wall of the cover is offset through the plane of the hanger and crosses beneath the hanger wire at or close to the shoulder portions of the hanger, and such offset and crossing is permitted by, and occurs at or close to, the eyes formed by the hook-shaped cuts. The upstanding tongue which is pushed through the hanger then overlaps the opposite face of the hanger to retain the interlocked relation. This also has the effect of tending to bow outward the opposite cover panel and to cause its upstanding tongue to press firmly against the crotch and hook-shank portions of the hanger. The cover is then firmly held on the hanger not only against relative vertical movement but also against relative side movement, so that the cover does not tend to slip to one side or the other down the sloping shoulder portions of the hanger.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention. In such drawing:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevation of a coat hanger with a cover in accordance with my invention secured thereon;

FIG. 2 is a plain view of the blank for'forming the cover shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a central sectional view taken on the lines 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmental front view of the apex portion of the assembly shown in FIG. 1, with the front panel broken away to show the inside of the rear panel; and

FIG. 5 is a section similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modified use of the cover, applied to a wire coat hanger of the so-called wishbone type.

As shown, my new cover is adapted to be secured to a conventional wire type coat hanger having a pair of downwardly sloping arms 10 interconnected at their lower ends by a transversely extending strut 12. The upper or inner ends of the arms 10 connect to short horizontal shoulder portions 14 which lead to upwardly-bent portions 15 forming a crotch 16. Above this, the wire is twisted together to form a shank 17 which connects to a supporting hook 18.

My new cover is formed from a generally triangularlyshaped blank of cardboard or like stiff foldable sheet ma- As shown in FIG. 2, the lower central portion of the blank forms a main or first panel 22 defined at the bottom by the edge of the blank 20 and defined at its shoulder portions by a pair of angularly disposed groups of score lines 24, here shown with two score :lines in each group, but including a greater number of score lines if desired. The included angle between the groups of score lines approximates the angle between the downwardly sloping arms 19 of the coat hanger, but desirably may be slightly greater than the angle between the hanger arms,

3 in order to cause the panels of the hanger cover to bulge away from each other to tmantain the desired rounded configuration of the shoulder portions of the cover.

The portions of the blank 20 upward and outward from the score lines 24 form half-panels 26, the upper inner ends of which form flap portions 28 and 29 adapted to be overlapped when the half-panels 26 are folded about the score lines 24. The flap portions 28 and 29 are severed from each other by a central cut 30, and the upper corner of the flap portion 28 is cut to form a tongue 32 adapted to interlock in a slot 34 formed at the base of the flap portion 29.

The score lines 24 desirably terminate short of the outer ends of the blank 20 to leave un-scored end portions 25 which tend to avoid creasing and maintain roundness on the garment supporting surface of the hanger cover. If desired, the end portions of the blank may be scored in accordance with the teachings of my prior Patent No. 2,873,054.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the inner or upper ends of the score lines 24 terminate at locations within the lengths of the sloping arms of the wire coat hanger, preferably at points adjacent the upper ends of those sloping arms but outward and downward from the connections between the sloping arms 10 and the horizontal shoulder portions 14 of the wire coat hanger. Between such terminal points, a cut 36 of special configuration separates the inner-end or flap portions 28 and 29 of the half panels 26 from the main or first panel 22. At each end, such cut 36 includes a transverse end portion 37 extending across the ends of the group of score lines 24 and slightly into the main panel 22; it then curves back upon itself to form an eye 38, then runs through an intermediate portion obliquely upward and inward to form an edge 39 on the main panel and an edge 40 on the half panel, and then through a central portion horizontally inward to a point of intersection with the vertical cut 30. This forms an upstanding central tongue 42 at the top of the main or first panel 22, and forms corner tongues 44 and 45 on the flap portions 28 and 29, with such corner tongues projecting from the line of the cuts 40 so that they will form upstanding central tongue members on the rear panel when the cover is in operative position.

In forming coat hanger covers from blanks as shown in FIG. 2, it is usually convenient to fold the blanks to cover form before applying the same to the coat hanger. To this end, the blank is gently folded along the score lines 24, with a minimum of creasing along such score lines 24, to bring the half panels 26 rearward and downward from their positions in FIG. 2 to their positions as shown in FIG. 1. The flap portion 28 will then overlap the outside of the flap portion 29, and the tongue 32 is inserted in the slot 34 and locked therein by forcing the tab 35 across the back edge of the tongue 32.

The pre-asse-mbled and interlocked covers may be applied to coat hangers as needed. To do this, the cover is passed downward over the hook 18 of the coat hanger, and such hook 18, its shank 17, and the crotch portion 16 of the hanger readily pass upward through the slot at the apex of the cover and between the central tongue 42 on the first panel and the upstanding double central tongue formed :by the overlapping corner portions 44 and 45 of the interlocked flaps 28 and 29.

When the cover is firmly seated on the hanger, the upper ends of the sloping arms 10 of the hanger will emerge from beneath the shoulder portions of the cover at the upper terminal ends of the score lines 24 and at the eyes 38 formed by the end portions 37 of the cuts 36. As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the edges 40, which now define the top edges of the half panels 26, will lie generally parallel with the horizontal shoulder portions 14 of the hanger, and the double tongue 4445 will lie in overlapping relation with the wire portions 14 and adjacent the crotch 16 of the hanger.

To lock the cover onto the hanger, the double tongue 44-45 and the adjacent upper central portion of the main panel formed by the half-panels 26 are pressed forward through the plane of the hanger. This carries the double tongue 4445 to an interlocking position on the opposite side of the crotch portion of the hanger, and the edges 40 of the half-panels 26 will then cross beneath the horizontal shoulder portions 14 of the hanger to lock the cover down on the hanger. This crossing relationship will be secured by engagement of the corners 44 and 45 between the opposite face of the'hanger and the upstanding tongue 42 on the front panel.

This relationship is seen from the rear in FIG. 1. The half panels 26 lie in front of the plane of the hanger and in front of the sloping arms 10 of the hanger. The sloping arms 10 emerge from behind the overlying half panels 26 at the eyes 38, the edges 40 of the half panels 26 cross from the front of the hanger to the rear of the hanger within the lengths of the horizontal shoulder portions 14 of the hanger, and the upstanding corners 44 and 45 lie in superimposed relationship on the opposite side of the hanger, behind the portions 14 and 15 of the hanger wire.

This relationship is also shown on a larger scale in FIG. 4, which views the assembly from the front. In FIG. 4, it is the first main panel 22 which lies in front of the hanger arms 10, and the central portion of this first panel is broken away to reveal the underlying relationship. The half panels 26 as seen in FIG. 4 lie behind the sloping arms 10 of the hanger. Where the wire emerges through the eyes 38, however, this relationship begins to reverse, as the edges 40 of the flap portions 28 and 29 cross forward through the plane of the hanger and beneath the horizontal shoulder portions 14 of the hanger to a position in front of the upwardly bent portions 15. The superimposed corners 44 and 45 overlap the front side of the hanger as seen in FIG. 4 to lock the edges 40 in their crossing relationship beneath the shoulder portions 14 of the hanger.

The interlocked crossing relationship between the edges 40 and the shoulder portions 14 of the hanger securely lock the cover on the hanger, to hold it both against vertical removal and against lateral sliding or misalignment.

An alternate manner of applying the new cover to a coat hanger is shown in FIG. 5, in which the cover is associated with a hanger of the type commonly referred to as a wishbone hanger and which is used to some considerable extent by garment manufacturers is shipping garments from the factory. Such wishbone hangers are generally similar to the conventional hangers shown in FIGS. l-3, in that they have downwardly sloping arms interconnected at their lower ends by a strut 112 and joined at their upper ends to horizontal shoulder portions 114 which lead to upwardly-bent connections to a twisted shank 117 for a hook 118. In the wishbone type hangers, however, the sloping arms 110 are curved out of a general plane of the hanger so that, as viewed in FIG. 5, the garment supporting arms 110 are bulged to the right and the shoulder portions 114 of the hanger are relatively displaced toward the left. With hangers of this wishbone type, I have found it especially convenient to interlock the front panel rather than the rear panel with the hanger. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the front tongue 42 of the first or front panel is pushed through the plane of the hanger instead of the double tongue 4445 of the back panel formed by the half-panels 26. When this is done, it is the material of the front panel 22, particularly the edge of the tongue 42 adjacent the eyes 38, which crosses from one side of the hanger to the other side of the hanger beneath the hanger wire. In this case, the crossing may occur more abruptly and more closely within the eyes 38, and may occur farther out on the shoulder portions 114 or even on the arm portion 110 themselves; but the effect is the same, namely, of interlocking the cover firmly on the hanger both against removal and against misalignment.

In this use of the cover on a wishbone type hanger, a further feature appears in FIG. 5. When the upstanding tongue 42 of the first panel 22 is thrust through the hanger, the distortion shortens it relative to the upstanding and superimposed corner portions 44-45 of the half panels 26, so that such corner portions 4445 project above the upper edge of the tongue 42 to form a hook which can be engaged in the collar loop of the coat which is hung on the covered hanger. By raising or lowering the horizontal portion of the cut 36 as it appears in FIG. 2, the superimposed corners 44 and 45 may be made to project above the tongue 42 a greater or less distance for this purpose, as may be desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cover for a wire coat hanger having a pair of garment-supporting arms extending downward and outward from inwardly-extending and generally horizontal shoulder portions connected to a hanger support, comprising a blank of stitf foldable material such as cardboard and the like, said blank being cut and scored to provide a first main cover panel joined at its upper-outer borders by shoulder portions marked by a pair of angularly disposed groups of score lines at which the blank is adapted to be folded to overlie the arms of the hanger and provide downwardly-sloping, rounded garment-supporting shoulders over such arms,

half-panels at the opposite sides of said groups of score lines and including flap portions at their inner ends adapted to be overlapped and connected to position said half panels as a second main cover panel,

severing outs separating the flap portions of said half panels from each other and from the central portion of said first panel,

the cut separating the half-panel flap portions from the first-panel having end portions transverse to the score lines and forming openings which in the operative position of the cover on a hanger will lie adjacent the upper ends of the hanger arms below the connections thereof with the hanger shoulder portions, intermediate portions extending obliquely inward and upward from the end portions to form edges on the flap portions which in the operative position of the cover on a hanger will lie generally parallel with the shoulder portions of the hanger and are adapted to cross through the plane of the hanger beneath such shoulder portions, and central portions extending inward from the intermediate portions to form tongues on the fiap portions which project from said flap-portion edges and are adapted to hook against the opposite face of the hanger to hold said edges in crossing relation with the shoulder portions of the hanger. 2. A coat hanger cover as defined in claim 1 in which said cuts form a central tongue on said first panel adapted to stand in overlying relation with the confronting face of the apex portion of the hanger,

said tongues on said flap portions being of a length,

when hooked under the shoulder portions of a hanger, to extend between said central tongue and its confronting face of the hanger, to be retained in hooking relation by such central tongue.

3. A coat hanger cover as defined in claim 1, in which said severing cut, at each end,

first extends transversely relative to the adjacent group of score lines,

then in a reverse curve of small radius to a point intermediate the width of such group of score lines,

and then along said intermediate portion to form said edges adapted to cross through the plane of the hanger,

said end portions of the cut forming short tabs which 6 project from said half-panel edges in the same direction as said tongues on the flap portions.

4. A cover for a wire coat hanger having a pair of garment-supporting arms extending downward and outward from adjoining inwardly-extending and generally horizontal shoulder portions connected to a hanger support, comprising a blank of stilf foldable sheet material such as cardboard and the like, cut and scored to provide rounded garment-supporting shoulders adapted to overlie the garment-supportingarms of the hanger,

front and rear panels extending from said shoulders and adapted to interconnect the same at opposite faces of the hanger,

an opening at the upper end of each cover shoulder in a position to be near the upper end of the underlying arm of the hanger, below the connection of such such arm to the adjoining shoulder portion of the hanger,

a panel edge extending from each opening in position to cross through the plane of the hanger closely beneath such adjoining shoulder portion, from one face to the other face of the hanger,

and a tongue projecting from said edge to engage the wire of the hanger at such other face to retain the edge in crossing relation beneath the shoulder of the hanger and thereby retain the cover on the hanger.

5. A cover for a wire coat hanger having a pair of wire stretches connected to a central support and extending outward and downward to form opposite, downward- -ly-sloping garment-supporting arms, comprising stiff foldable material such as cardboard and the like,

processed to provide rounded, garment-supporting shoulders to overlie the wire stretches which form the garment-supporting arms of the hanger,

front and rear panels joined to said shoulders and adapted to interconnect the same at opposite faces of the hanger,

an opening at the inner end of each cover shoulder in a position to be near to but outward of and below the upper end of the underlying hanger arm,

a panel edge extending from each said opening and in the operative position of the cover on a hanger extending generally in the direction of the underlying wire stretch toward the central hanger support,

said opening being sutficiently outward of and below the upper end of the underlying hanger arm to permit said panel edges to be passed through the plane of the hanger, across beneath the said underlying wire stretch, to lock the cover to the hanger,

and a tongue upstanding from at least one of said panel edges to interengage the opposite face of the hanger and retain said panel edges in crossed relation with the wire thereof.

6. A cover for a wire coat hanger having a pair of wire stretches connected to a central support and extending outward and downward to form opposite, downwardly-sloping, garment-supporting arms, comprising a blank of stiff foldable sheet material such as cardboard and the like, cut and scored to provide rounded garment-supporting shoulders to overlie the wire stretches which form the garment-supporting arms of the hanger,

panels integrally joined to front and rear edges of said shoulders for interconnecting the shoulders at opposite faces of the hanger,

said panels being severed from each other at and in-- wardly of the inner ends of said shoulders, by cuts beginning at points within the blank and adjacent the upper end of each shoulder,

a panel edge extending inward from each such point,

said edge, in the operative position of the cover on a hanger, extending from a point on the cover overlying the wire of the hanger, transversely of the wire 7 to a point below such wire, and subsequently in a reverse direction transversely of the wire to form a tongue, the panel portions adjacent said edges being distortable to position said edges in crossing relation beneath the wire with the tongueshooked behind the wire to maintain the crossed relationship and thereby retain the cover on the hanger. 7. A cover for a wire coat hanger having a pair of garment-supporting arms extending downward and outward from junctions with inwardly-extending and generally horizontal shoulder portions connected to a hanger support, comprising a blank of stiff foldable sheet material such as cardboard and the like, cut and scored to provide rounded garment-supporting shoulders to overlie the wire stretches which form the garment-supporting arms of the hanger,

panels integrally joined to front and rear edges of said shoulders for interconnecting the shoulders at opposite faces of the hanger,

said panels being separated from each other inward of of the upper ends of the shoulders,

at least one of said panels, in the operative position of the cover on a hanger, having a central portion defined at the top by free edge portions extending inward from points adjacent the upper ends of the hanger arms, below their junctions with said hanger shoulder portions,

said central portion including a tongue portion inward of each free edge portion and upstanding above the level of said free edge portion sufficiently to lap the inwardend of a shoulder portion of the hanger,

said free edge portions being positioned and adapted to extend through the plane of the hanger closely below the shoulder wire thereof and said tongue portions being adapted to be passed through the plane of the hanger and hooked behind said shoulder portions of the hanger to retain said edges in such crossing relationship.

8. In combination,

a wire coat hanger having a pair of garment-supporting arms extending downward and outward from junctions with inwardly-extending and generally horizontal shoulder portions connected to a hanger support,

and a cover as defined in claim 7,

the said free edge portions of the cover crossing from one face of the hanger to the other face closely beneath the shoulder portions of the hanger and the said tongue portions of the cover being hooked behind the said other face of the hanger, whereby to lock the cover on the hanger.

9. A coat hanger cover as set forth in claim 7, with the addition that the other one of said panels carries a central upstanding tongue which in the operative position of the cover on a hanger extends above the tongue portions on the first one of said panels and forms a projection adapted to enter the collar loop of a coat hung on the hanger, to retain the coat in place thereon.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,241,697 5/1941 Berke 223--98 2,578,383 12/1951 Tomarin 223 9s 3,033,430 5/1962 Zintel 223-98 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COVER FOR A WIRE COAT HANGER HAVING A PAIR OF GARMENT-SUPPORTING ARMS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARD FROM INWARDLY-EXTENDING AND GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SHOULDER PORTIONS CONNECTED TO A HANGER SUPPORT, COMPRISING A BLANK OF STIFF FOLDABLE MATERIAL SUCH AS CARDBOARD AND THE LIKE, SAID BLANK BEING CUT AND SCORED TO PROVIDE A FIRST MAIN COVER PANEL JOINED AT ITS UPPER-OUTER BORDERS BY SHOULDER PORTIONS MARKED BY A PAIR OF ANGULARLY DISPOSED GROUPS OF SCORE LINES AT WHICH THE BLANK IS ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED TO OVERLIE THE ARMS OF THE HANGER AND PROVIDE DOWNWARDLY-SLOPING, ROUNDED GARMENT-SUPPORTING SHOULDERS OVER SUCH ARMS, HALF-PANELS AT THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID GROUPS OF SCORE LINES AND INCLUDING FLAP PORTIONS AT THEIR INNER ENDS ADAPTED TO BE OVERLAPPED AND CONNECTED TO POSITION SAID HALF PANELS AS A SECOND MAIN COVER PANEL, SEVERING CUTS SEPARATING THE FLAP PORTIONS OF SAID HALF PANELS FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID FIRST PANEL, THE CUT SEPARATING THE HALF-PANEL FLAP PORTIONS FROM THE FIRST-PANEL HAVING END PORTIONS TRANSVERSE TO THE SCORE LINES AND FORMING OPENINGS WHICH IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION OF THE COVER ON A HANGER WILL LIE ADJACENT THE UPPER ENDS OF THE HANGER ARMS BELOW THE CONNECTIONS THEREOF WITH THE HANGER SHOULDER PORTIONS, INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS EXTENDING OBLIQUELY INWARD AND UPWARD FROM THE END PORTIONS TO FORM EDGES ON THE FLAP PORTIONS WHICH IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION OF THE COVER ON A HANGER WILL LIE GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE SHOULDER PORTIONS OF THE HANGER AND ARE ADAPTED TO CROSS THROUGH THE PLANE OF THE HANGER BENEATH SUCH SHOULDER PORTIONS, AND CENTRAL PORTIONS EXTENDING INWARD FROM THE INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS TO FORM TONGUES ON THE FLAP PORTIONS WHICH PROJECT FROM SAID FLAP-PORTION EDGES AND ARE ADAPTED TO HOOK AGAINST THE OPPOSITE FACE OF THE HANGER TO HOLD SAID EDGES IN CROSSING RELATION WITH THE SHOULDER PORTIONS OF THE HANGER. 